2 NOVEMBER, 2016
2017 PERTH WRITERS FESTIVAL
(February 23- 26)
Celebrated writers, artists and activists from across the globe will provoke, inspire and offer
their unique insights on the world at the 2017 Perth Writers Festival.
Over four days in the Perth Writers Festival Precinct at the University of Western Australia
and beyond, lovers of language and ideas can take a journey with bright minds and luminous
literature in a hugely diverse program of events to engage, delight and surprise.
Words and ideas will fly off the page
and onto the stage in the exciting new
Festival event Courtyard Sessions at
the State Theatre Centre. This is a
two-night party where audiences are
invited to revel in the power of the
spoken word, music, hip hop and
comedy from a range of brilliant
writers, performers and RTRFM 92.1
DJs. Hosted by Black Comedy writer
and star Nakkiah Lui, Courtyard
Sessions brings to Perth three of the
hottest spoken-word artists and the
Literary Death Match, a hilarious storytelling bout touted as Def Poetry Jam meets
Australian Idol. Other highlights include spoken-word artists like Omar Musa, a performance
of Nick Earls’ linked novellas, Wisdom Tree, and a special Perth Writers Festival edition of
Marieke Hardy and Michaela McGuire’s smash-hit show Women of Letters.
Two powerful and morally urgent perspectives on the global humanitarian crisis will
bookend four days of illuminating and entertaining literary events and discussions.
In the Opening Address on February 23, writer and
researcher Ben Rawlence (City of Thorns) goes beyond
the headlines and mind-boggling statistics to focus our
attention on the lives of nine individuals among the
half a million people in the world’s biggest refugee
camp, City of Thorns (or Dadaab) in Northern Kenya.
Syrian architect and memoirist Marwa al-Sabouni (The
Battle for Home), who has watched her home city of
Homs torn apart by civil war, will present the Closing
Address about how architecture can help reconstruct a
civil society from carnage.
‘In 2017 we turn our focus to some of the biggest problems facing the world today from
refugees and temporary migration to the rise of political extremism’, PWF Program Manager
Katherine Dorrington says. ‘Over four days in February we examine big ideas through first
hand-accounts of people on the ground to novelists providing an empathic and imaginative
exploration of recent issues.’
The extensive field of international writers includes Canadian Booker Prize-nominated
author Madeleine Thien (Do We Say We Have Nothing; Dogs at the Perimeter); NigerianAmerican writer Chinelo Okparanta (Under the Udala Trees); Ireland’s two-time Booker
Prize shortlisted Sebastian Barry (Days Without End, The Secret Scripture); major new
American voice Nathan Hill (The Nix); US-Chinese Pulitzer Prize winner Mei Fong (One Child);
bestselling UK writer Kate Summerscale (The Suspicions of Mr Whicher; The Wicked Boy: The
Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer); US novelist and Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley
(Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga) and Chilean writer Alejandro Zambra (My Documents;
Ways of Going Home).
The A-Z of Australian writing talent bound for Perth ranges from child soldier turned refugee
advocate, lawyer and author Deng Thiak Adut (Songs of a War Boy) to political satirist Lee
Zachariah (Double Dissolution). In between you will find the likes of Clementine Ford (Fight
Like a Girl); Hannah Kent (The Good People); Natasha Lester (A Kiss from Mr Fitzgerald);
William McInnes (Full Bore); Osama Sami (Good Muslim Boy) and Holly Throsby
(Goodwood).
Inspiring book lovers big and small, Family Day returns in 2017 with a jam-packed day of
storytelling, art, performance, workshops and conversation. Highly acclaimed international
author of the Inkheart Trilogy, Cornelia Funke, shares her timeless tales, Lance Balchin
brings his Mechanica creatures to life through steampunk-inspired illustrations and Chris
Owen invites you to create ‘pandamonia’. Other guests include Garth Nix, Kylie Howarth,
Oliver Phommavanh and Bruce Pascoe. To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the publication
of the first Harry Potter book, you’re invited to come dressed as your favourite Harry Potter
character and take part in a series of Hogwarts-themed events.
For the first time our Family Day
features young guest curators
selecting authors and topics –
creating programming for the young,
by the young. And the Better
Beginnings Tent will be buzzing with
bookish fun.
Many more exciting names and
events are still to be announced,
with the full Perth Writers Festival
program to be released on
Wednesday 11 January. Register at
perthfestival.com.au to receive your free copy.
PERTH WRITERS FESTIVAL
WHERE: Perth Writers Festival Precinct, UWA
WHEN: Thursday 23 - Sunday 26 February
COURTYARD SESSSIONS
WHERE: State Theatre Centre of WA
WHEN: Friday 23 Feb, 5pm-late; Sat 25 Feb, 6pm-late
FAMILY DAY
WHERE: Perth Writers Festival Precinct, UWA
WHEN: Sunday 26 February, 9am-3pm
BOOKINGS AND FESTIVAL INFO: 08 6488 5555 – perthfestival.com.au – Ticketmaster
outlets
FULL LIST OF AUTHORS
International
Marwa Al-Sabouni, Barbara Arrowsmith-Young, Sebastian Barry, Hera Lindsay Bird, Donovan
Bixley, Jessie Burton, Patrick Cockburn, Armando Lucas Correa, Inua Ellams, Mei Fong, David
Francis, Thomas Frank, Cornelia Funke, Nathan Hill, Literary Death Match, Ken Liu, Alberto
Manguel, Ian McGuire, Anna North, Peadar O’Guilin, Chinelo Okparanta, Ben Rawlence, Jane
Smiley, Amy Stewart, Kate Summerscale, Madeleine Thien, Lindy West, Agustinus Wibowo,
Alejandro Zambra.
Australian
Deng Thiak Adut, Melissa Ashley, Lance Balchin, Julia Baird, Bernice Barry, Carmel Bird, Troy
Bramston, Mark Colvin, Mark Di Stefano, Sarah Drummond, Nick Earls, Ziggy Fatnowna,
Richard Fidler, James Foley, Clementine Ford, Zana Fraillon, Jacinta Halloran, Jane Harper,
Anita Heiss, Kylie Howarth, Toni Jordan, Hannah Kent, Sukhjit Kaur Khalsa, Julie Koh, Jay
Kristoff, Julia Lawrinson, Natasha Lester, Nakkiah Lui, Kim Mahood, William Maley, Peter
Mares, William McInnes, Zoe Morrison, Elspeth Muir, Rashida Murphy, Omar Musa, Garth
Nix, Madeleine O’Dea, Chris Owen, Bruce Pascoe, Oliver Phommavanh, Liam Pieper, Osamah
Sami, Rajith Savanadasa, Jock Serong, Jeff Sparrow, Leigh Straw, Nadia Sunde, Jared Thomas,
Holly Throsby, Dianne Touchell, Alison Whittaker, Women of Letters, Laura Elizabeth
Woollett, Ashleigh Wilson, Josephine Wilson, Damon Young, Lee Zachariah.
Supported by
Family and Education Program Partner
For further information, interviews or images please contact:
WA MEDIA: Stephen Bevis
+61 8 6488 8618 / 0448 927 281
[email protected]
NATIONAL MEDIA: Miranda Brown
+61 3 9419 0931 / 0411 568 781
[email protected]
Perth International Arts Festival
Founded in 1953 by The University of Western Australia, the Perth International Arts
Festival is the longest running international arts festival in Australia and Western
Australia’s premier cultural event. The Festival has developed a worldwide reputation
for excellence in its international program, the presentation of new works and the
highest quality artistic experiences for its audience. For 64 years the Festival has
welcomed to Perth some of the world’s greatest living artists and now connects with
over 700,000 people each year.
Wendy Martin is the Artistic Director 2016–19.
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